POLS 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Social Contract, Economic Liberalism, Noblesse Oblige
Document Summary
Rejection of liberal, anarchist, and socialist ideologies (edmund burke is best example) Reference to ancient and medieval political thought notions of nobility, tradition & community. Affiliated with social democracy in red tory politics. Affiliated more recently with neo-liberalism in neo-conservative politics. Habits/customs/traditions/prejudice are important as they are the basis for stability. The importance of order and stability, of ritual. Property as basis for stability (adds to social stability) Markets do not always produce best results (they can actually derail society because they lead to too much change) Role of government peace, justice, stability, equilibrium (what the social body needs is order) Not aiming for perfection of society or for achievement of ideals. Limits to government checks on power of individuals, or any particular group, on government itself. Importance of compromise (some people want things to change, others don"t want things to change) Importance of continuity (should know that the past is connected to the future)